Posts Tagged labor rights

By Maya Dusenbery • 9 years ago

Quote of the Day: “My past is littered with the bones of men…”

She said she was all too aware that if she was selected, she would represent several hundred male athletes in the N.B.A.; she would deal with league officials and agents who were nearly all men; she would negotiate with team owners who were almost all men; and she would stand before reporters who were predominantly men.

She did not flinch.  “My past,” she told the room, “is littered with the bones of men who were foolish enough to think I was someone they could sleep on.”

Meet the new head of the NBA players union, Michele A. Roberts. A former public defender, Roberts will be the first female leader of a major North American professional sports union.

She said she was all too aware that if she was selected, she would represent several hundred male athletes in the N.B.A.; she would deal with league officials and agents who were nearly all men; she ...
By Maya Dusenbery • 9 years ago

Walmart fires worker for becoming pregnant

For years, Walmart has taken heat–in the courts and the streets– for gender discrimination, sexual harassment, and a generally shitty record on worker rights. In the spring, the company made a half-assed attempt to be less awful by changing their policy to say pregnant workers may be eligible for a “reasonable accommodation” if they have “a temporary disability caused by pregnancy.”

But former Walmart employee Candis Riggins was fired–and lost her home–thanks to her pregnancy. After Riggins landed in the hospital multiple times because she worked in maintenance and had to carry around toxic chemicals all day, she asked to be temporarily moved behind the cash register–a reasonable accommodation if I’ve ever ...

For years, Walmart has taken heat–in the courts and the streets– for gender discrimination, sexual harassment, and a generally shitty record on worker rights. In the ...
By Maya Dusenbery • 9 years ago

Photo of the Day: When 90 percent of Iceland’s women went on strike in 1975

Happy May Day!

Originally sparked by the Haymarket Massacre of 1886, when police cracked down on peaceful protestors rallying for an eight-hour work day in Chicago, International Workers’ Day has enjoyed a bit of a revival in the last several years. In 2006, activists organized “a day without an immigrant,” and immigrants’ rights actions have been a big focus of the day ever since. A couple years ago, Occupy activists attempted a (rather unsuccessful) nationwide general strike.

In honor of May Day — and as inspiration for future striking dreams — here’s an image from the feminist archives of one the more successful general strikes in history. On October 24 1975, Iceland’s women refused to do any work ...

Happy May Day!

Originally sparked by the Haymarket Massacre of 1886, when police cracked down on peaceful protestors rallying for an eight-hour work day in Chicago, International Workers’ Day has enjoyed a bit of a revival in the last ...
By Maya Dusenbery • 10 years ago

1.2 million workers in New York City have paid sick leave for the first time

This month New York City’s new paid sick leave law went into effect — and employers and employees alike are feeling pretty good about it.

The law went into effect on April 1. And despite the naysayers and the critics, the skies didn’t fall. Instead, without hoopla or hullabaloo, the city quietly became the largest in the nation to ensure that a vast majority of workers wouldn’t lose their jobs or a portion of their paychecks if they or their close relatives got sick.

… As a result of the new law, about 1.2 million workers will have paid sick leave for the first time, according to Nancy Rankin, vice president for policy research at the Community Service ...

This month New York City’s new paid sick leave law went into effect — and employers and employees alike are feeling pretty good about it.

The law went into effect on April 1. And despite the ...
By Verónica Bayetti Flores • 10 years ago

So…where’s Dolores Huerta’s movie?

This Friday, March 28th, the Diego Luna-directed film that documents the life and times of Cesar Chavez is set to hit theaters across the country.  Chavez was an incredible man and one of the co-founders of the United Farm Workers — a male co-founder, to be more specific.

This Friday, March 28th, the Diego Luna-directed film that documents the life and times of Cesar Chavez is set to hit theaters across the country.  Chavez was an incredible man and one of the co-founders ...
By Maya Dusenbery • 10 years ago

Chart of the Day: Being able to stay home when you’re sick is a perk for the rich

Do you get paid sick days? Count yourself lucky.

Although several cities mandate universal paid sick leave, for the most part, such policies are left to employers. And while they’ve been slightly more generous in the last few years, more than 41 million people in this country can’t take a paid day off when they or their family members are sick, according to a new report from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research.

Do you get paid sick days? Count yourself lucky.

Although several cities mandate universal paid sick leave, for the most part, such policies are left to employers. And while they’ve been slightly more generous in the last few ...

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